INDIA Bloc Protest: DMK Lost Due to ‘Vote Chori’, Claims VCK Founder

With the idea of taking the protest against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar to other parts of the country, the INDIA bloc on Thursday held a protest meeting at Egmore in Chennai.

The highlight of this meeting was the participation of TVK, which has now become part of the INDIA alliance. The protest condemned the "murder of democracy" and demanded the removal of the CEC.

Incidentally, VCK founder Thol Thirumavalavan, who walked out of the DMK-led alliance post-April elections to back the TVK government, endorsed the claim of the DMK that SIR was responsible for the Dravidian party's loss in the hustings.

"The DMK was defeated through a systematic process of targeted voter deletion and electoral manipulation," he said, suggesting that individuals were specifically targeted to ensure a negative outcome for the then ruling party, he said.

Thursday's protest was led by Tamil Nadu Congress chief B Manickam Tagore and represented by School Education Minister A Rajmohan on behalf of the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK). It saw the cadres of the INDIA Bloc gather in large numbers, display their respective party flags and raise slogans seeking the immediate resignation of the CEC over the SIR exercise.

At the protest, various speakers alleged that millions of voters - specifically Muslims, tribal groups, and marginalised communities — were systematically removed from the electoral rolls under the SIR process, asserting that over 97 lakh voters were struck off the rolls in Tamil Nadu alone.

They argued that this process undermined the Constitution and represented a "democratic massacre" and expressed concerns that election processes were being manipulated to favour the ruling party, ie BJP.

They demanded transparency and the immediate reinstatement of unfairly removed voters.

Stepping up the heat against Gyanesh Kumar over the SIR process, the INDIA Bloc in Tamil Nadu held a massive protest here condemning the "murder of democracy" and demanding the removal of the CEC, with the agitation witnessing the participation of C Joseph Vijay-led TVK in the state days after it joined the opposition alliance.

The TVK, its key ally, the Congress and other constituents of the INDIA Bloc including VCK attended the protest seeking action against Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Kumar over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.

Incidentally,VCK founder Thol Thirumavalavan, who walked out of the DMK-led alliance post April elections to back the TVK government, blamed the SIR for the Dravidian party's loss in the hustings.

"The DMK was defeated through a systematic process of targeted voter deletion and electoral manipulation," he said, suggesting that individuals were specifically targeted to ensure a negative outcome for the then ruling party.

Thursday's protest was led by Tamil Nadu Congress chief B Manickam Tagore and represented by School Education Minister A Rajmohan on behalf of the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK). It saw the cadres of the INDIA Bloc gather in large numbers, display their respective party flags and raise slogans seeking the immediate resignation of the CEC over the SIR exercise.

At the protest, various speakers alleged that millions of voters - specifically Muslims, tribal groups, and marginalised communities - were systematically removed from the electoral rolls under the SIR process, asserting that over 97 lakh voters were struck off the roles in Tamil Nadu alone.

They argued that this process undermined the Constitution and represented a "democratic massacre" and expressed concerns that election processes were being manipulated to favour the ruling party, ie BJP.

They demanded transparency and the immediate reinstatement of unfairly removed voters.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Gowri V

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A Journey of Three Decades Time passes faster than we realise. What feels like a journey that began only yesterday has today grown into more than three decades of a meaningful and fulfilling life devoted to education, journalism, and the empowerment of young minds. My professional journey began with journalism training in New Delhi in 1979. I went on to work as an independent journalist, drawing on my fluency in both English and Telugu. Over the years, I have edited and worked on Telugu articles in both languages, an experience that strengthened my command of language and sharpened my understanding of society, people, and contemporary issues. Yet, my principal profession and enduring passion have always been teaching. My decision to become a teacher was not merely a career choice—it was a calling. Teaching offered me the rare privilege of inspiring young minds, guiding them through their formative years, and making a lasting difference in their lives. I found immense satisfaction in simplifying complex concepts, nurturing curiosity, encouraging independent thought, and building confidence among students. Every moment in the classroom—every question, every moment of discovery, and every spark of understanding—reminded me why I had chosen this path: to empower young people through knowledge, values, and essential life skills. My teaching career began at the grassroots level as a Montessori teacher and gradually progressed to the position of Vice Principal. I had the opportunity to work in reputed educational institutions, including Dilsukhnagar Public School in Hyderabad, where I shouldered both teaching and administrative responsibilities. Although I have always considered myself, at heart, a teacher, my administrative experience enabled me to understand and contribute to the education system from a much broader perspective. For my students, I have always tried to be an approachable and dependable presence—someone they could turn to not only for academic support, but also for guidance and emotional encouragement. At the same time, I developed a reputation as a firm disciplinarian who believed that integrity, fairness, responsibility, and discipline were fundamental to education. I was also consistently appreciated for maintaining clear communication with parents and staff and for ensuring that examinations and other academic processes were conducted with transparency, fairness, and efficiency. As my career progressed, however, I began to feel that academic education alone was not enough. This realization led me to work more closely with students following the SSC and CBSE curricula, while consciously bringing life-skills education into my teaching. I came to understand that education becomes truly meaningful when it prepares children not merely to pass examinations, but to face life. Teaching emotional resilience, self-reliance, social awareness, communication, decision-making, and other practical life skills often had a deeper and more lasting impact than academic achievement alone. I saw how these skills could help students navigate challenges with greater confidence, maturity, and responsibility. My academic background provided a strong foundation for this approach. My degree in Psychology from the University of Madras helped me develop a deeper understanding of young people's minds, their emotional needs, and the influence of their family and social environments. My M.A. in Telugu with First Class from Osmania University.

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